The stakes will be high at The American rodeo semifinals in Mesquite, Texas, February 21–23.
Coined as the richest one-day rodeo in the history of the sport, The American offers the world’s toughest competitors a shot at a $2 million prize—meaning a wild ride for rodeo lovers everywhere.
Ronnie Will and Super Devotion, a 2006 bay solid mare by Im Devoted Too and out of Estella, qualified for the semifinals with a :16.30 run at the Better Barrel Races Western Regional Tour Finale held in Loveland, Colorado, on September 23.
The pair start their semifinals bid Friday morning, sitting at 16th in the running order for the slack competition. All qualifying competitors will compete Friday morning, and the top 20 runs will move on to race in one of the two rounds of the semifinals, which take place Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. The top 10 semifinals times will move on to the finals, held March 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Team roper and 19-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Kory Koontz qualified for the team roping semifinals at the Odessa, Texas qualifier on January 7. In the past, Kory has roped on Hickory Doc Flyer, a 1999 sorrel tobiano stallion by Delta Flyer and out of Hickorys Bay Doll.
Paint fans can also look forward to watching world champion roper Trevor Brazile at The American rodeo. Trevor frequently competes with Pine Time Boogie, a 2001 brown solid stallion by Pine Time and out of Tender Moments. The 2013 National Finals Rodeo tie-down champion was one of 10 tie-down ropers and 10 team ropers to earn exemptions; 10 top competitors in each sport were offered guaranteed spots in The American.
For more information on The American, visit http://bit.ly/1h1aPKs.
[Reprinting all or part of this news release is permitted, so long as credit is given to the Paint Horse Journal and a link provided back to apha.com.]
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The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest equine breed association, registering more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories since it was founded. APHA creates and maintains programs that increase the value of American Paint Horses and enriches members’ experiences with their horses.